After the Chamber
by isyhgia1993
Summary: In the chamber, the course of magical history is altered.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: J.K. Rowling owns everything

" **You're dead, Harry Potter," said Riddle's voice above him. "Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing, Potter? He's crying."**

 **Harry blinked. Fawkes' head slid in and out of focus. Thick, pearly tears were trickling down the glossy feathers.**

" **I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Harry Potter. Take your time. I'm in no hurry."**

 **Harry felt drowsy. Everything around him seemed to be spinning.**

" **So ends the famous Harry Potter," said Riddle's distant voice. "Alone in the Chamber of Secrets, forsaken by his friends, defeated at last by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged. You'll be back with your dear Mudblood mother soon, Harry… She bought you twelve years of borrowed time… but Lord Voldemort got you in the end, as you knew he must…"**

 **If this is dying, thought Harry, it's not so bad.**

 **Even the pain was leaving him…**

 **But was this dying? Instead of going black, the Chamber seemed to be coming back into focus.**

 **Harry gave his head a little shake and there was Fawkes, still resting his head on Harry's arm. A pearly patch of tears was shining all around the wound — except that there was no wound.**

" **Get away, bird," said Riddle's voice suddenly. "Get away from him — I said, get away —"**

 **Harry raised his head.** Riddle's hand blurred as a spell exploded out of the Holly and Phoenix wand. The flash of silver light illuminated the walls of the chamber, the outline of the massive basilisk, and the frozen chamber floor.

 _Fawkes._

Riddle was aiming for Fawkes.

Time seemed to pause right in front of Harry's eyes as the boy himself did the unthinkable. From an impossible angle, Harry snatched Fawkes with his off hand and held the phoenix out of harm's way. Fawkes tired trill told him the phoenix was not harmed.

 _What the hell…_

Harry looked at his recently punctured arm. It was fully healed.

" **Phoenix tears…" said Riddle quietly, staring at Harry's arm also . "Of course… healing powers… Iforgot…"**

 **He looked into Harry's face. "But it makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Harry Potter… you and me…"**

 **He raised the wand again.** The diagonal slash that heralded utter destruction was almost complete when Harrymanaged to throw himself out of the way. The liquid fire Riddle conjured left spots in Harry's vision as it hit the gaping mouth of the dead basilisk.

There was a colossal explosion.

Burnt flesh and pulverized bones flew in every direction, along with spurts of oily liquid Harry had no trouble recognizing.

A jet of Basilisk venom flew through the air, and splashed directly onto the open pages of the diary. **There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. Ink spurted out of the diary in torrents, flooding the floor. Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing ,and then —**

 **He had gone. Harry's wand fell to the floor with a clatter and there was silence. Silence except for the steady drip drip of ink still oozing from the diary. The basilisk venom had burned a sizzling hole right through it.**

 **Shaking all over, Harry pulled himself up. His head was spinning as though he'd just traveled miles by Floo powder. Slowly, he gathered together his wand and the Sorting Hat, and, with a** simple tug, retrieved the glittering sword from the roof of the basilisk's partially destroyed mouth.

T **hen came a faint moan from the end of the Chamber. Ginny was stirring. As Harry hurried toward her, she sat up. Her bemused eyes traveled from the huge form of the dead basilisk, over Harry, in his blood-soaked robes, then to the diary in his hand. She drew a great, shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down her face.**

" **Harry — oh, Harry — I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy— it was me, Harry — but I — I s-swear I d-didn't mean to — R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over — and — how did you kill that — that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I rremember is him coming out of the diary —"**

" **It's all right," said Harry, holding up the diary, and showing Ginny the fang hole, "Riddle's finished. Look! Him and the basilisk. C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here —"**

He looked around. Now that his breathing had returned to normal, he suddenly realized that his vision was foggy. Instinctively, he took his glasses off with the hand holding the sword while helping Ginny to her feet with the other. Fawkes was trilling softly on his shoulder.

They trudged silently back through the chamber entrance and began the long walk back towards the pipes. After what seemed to be a long and awkward 15 minutes, they finally heard the sound of grinding stones. "Ron!" Harry yelled, speeding up. "Ginny's okay! I've got her!"

He heard Ron give a strangled cheer, and they turned the next bend to see his eager face staring through the sizable gap he had managed to make in the rock fall.

"Ginny!" Ron thrust an arm through the gap in the rock to pull her through first. "You're alive! I don't believe it! What happened? How — what — where did that bird come from?"

"Dumbledore's," said Harry, squeezing through himself.

"How come you've got a sword?" said Ron, gaping at the glittering weapon in Harry's hand.

"I'll explain when we get out of -," said Harry. But he was cut short.

Crunch.

"Hello," said Lockhart, regaining his footing. "Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?"

"No," said Ron, raising his eyebrows at Harry. Harry snorted.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lockhart stood in the doorway of Professor McGonagall's office, having just been transported by fawkes. Then the ongoing interrogation lasted for hours and hours, during which Lockhart was sent to the hospital wing by Dumbledore's implicit suggestion. At long last-

Bang!

The office door flew open. Lucius Malfoy stood there, fury in his face. And cowering behind his legs, heavily wrapped in bandages, was Dobby.

"Good evening, Lucius," said Dumbledore pleasantly.

Mr. Malfoy almost knocked Harry over as he swept into the room. Dobby went scurrying in after him, crouching at the hem of his cloak, a look of abject terror on his face as the venerated wizard and his seething master sized each other up verbally.

Harry watched Dobby closely. The elf's sockets had a purplish hue around it that had certainly not been there the last time they met. Then he made eye contact with the tennis-ball sized eyes.

 _The diary belongs to Master._

Harry blinked.

 _The diary belongs to Master._

Was he imagining, or had he just read the elf's mind?

Straightening up, trying to push his luck, Harry said directly to Mr. Malfoy: "Don't you want to know how Ginny got hold of that diary, Mr. Malfoy?"

Lucius Malfoy rounded on him. "How should I know how the stupid little girl got hold of it?" he said.

"Because you gave it to her," said Harry. "In Flourish and Blotts. You picked up her old Transfiguration book and slipped the diary inside it, didn't you?"

He saw Mr. Malfoy's white hands clench and unclench.

"Prove it," he hissed.

Barely had the words left his mouth did Harry's eyes bored into Lucius'.

 _A face, whiter than a skull, red eyes with slits for pupils…_

" _Luciusss…, my faithful servant, you shall be honored with Lord Voldemort's personal heirlooms…_

" _and the same goes to you, Bella…"_

"ENOUGH!"

Harry felt as though he had been pushed hard in the chest; he took a staggering steps backward, hit some of the shelves covering McGonagall's walls and heard a muffled _thud_. Lucius was shaking slightly, very white in the face. The hat he had worn when he had barged into the room had fallen off.

It was Dumbledore's light chuckle that diffused the thick silence.

"I would advise you, Lucius," began Dumbledore, speaking softly yet clearly "not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort's old school things. Alas, you, like many others, have had enough _memories_ of Voldemort to last a lifetime , it seems."

Lucius Malfoy stood for a moment, and Harry distinctly saw his right hand twitch as though he was longing to reach for his wand. Instead, he turned to his house-elf. "We're going, Dobby!" But Dobby didn't move. He was holding up Lucius' hat as though it were a priceless treasure.

"Master has given hat," said the elf in wonderment. "Master gave it to Dobby."

Lucius Malfoy stood frozen, staring at the elf then he lunged at Harry.

"You've lost me my servant, boy!"

In a tenth of a second, Harry flicked out his wand and spoke the spell that first came to his mind.

"Petrificus totalus!"

But instead of freezing the irate man, a sudden heat exploded out of Harry's wand.

A wave of concussive blast resonated through the spacious room as Harry himself dived out of the way just in time. Lucius, however, was not so lucky. Thanks to the fact that the door was ajar, Lucius flew bodily out of the room instead of crumpling against the mahogany door. The occupants in the room could hear the grunts of pain become more and more distant through the half-open door.

Harry looked around. Dumbledore had his wand out too, and was looking grim. It looked as though he had shielded the majority of the room from the explosion. Dobby was getting clumsily to his feet at the far side of the room, looking slightly disoriented.

"Your wand, Harry" said Dumbledore gently, motioning toward Harry's right hand .

Dropping his eyes, Harry received a slight shock that his wand tip was smoking slightly. Tendrils of smoke rose from the blackened tip as the wood itself seemed to shudder slightly. " Yes, err…sir. I'll have my wand…checked out, during the holidays. If you'll excuse me sir…"

"Certainly, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly. Harry nodded and walked of the office. Out in the corridors, Harry could not help but hear a small sigh from the room he had just vacated.

The rest of the final term passed too fast for Harry's liking. The only good news were that Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were canceled and Lucius

Malfoy had been sacked as a school governor. The aftermath of the chamber debacle had some rather disconcerting effects. The most noticeable change was that his wand seemed to be _agitated_ , and twitched when his hand got too close. Secondly, Harry learned that he did not need glasses anymore, and that his other senses seemed rather sharper than before. This is particularly annoying since some innocent everyday noises might startle him, sometimes in the dead of night. Last but not least, Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be following him everywhere, cracking their knuckles menacingly.

Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny got a compartment to themselves. Everyone, except Harry, made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays.

Harry looked out of the window as the others tried the disarming charm over and over again. He had conveniently forgot to ask Hermione about the malfunctioning of his wand since returning from the chamber. The simple body-bind spell had felt so wrong and so powerful at the same time that Harry hadn't dared to try to use his wand after the incident, something that Hermione had been quick to notice during their final practical classes. The teachers most certainly had noticed as well, but they were regarding him with such reverence that Harry thought McGonagall and Dumbledore must have told the entire staff of the chamber incident and about Harry's wand conditions. All in all, the teachers themselves also seemed to be in rather festive spirits , so the lack of practice went relatively unnoticed.

Harry was brought out of his musing by Hermione's voice."Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they, Harry?"

"Huh?" was the eloquent response.

Hermione shook her head in vexation as Fred sniggered. " Always the humble git, Harry." Said George. Ron choked on his fifth helping of chocolate frogs.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry closed the door of his bedroom quietly. This summer was turning out to be almost as bad as the last that Harry was tempted to fly himself to the leaky cauldron and stay there for the rest of the summer.

However, there are some little differences this time. On his first day back, Harry accidentally heard that Dudley was planning to host a party while his parents went on a business trip to Bristol. Under normal circumstances, the whispered conversation with Piers should not have been able to reach Harry's ears, as the freak was upstairs with his door locked, while a tap ran noisily in one of the bathrooms. Damn the underfed freak, Dudley remembered himself thinking. Cigarettes and strong liquor had already been smuggled successfully into the house, and now, they were serving as Harry's bargaining leverage.

07/20. The calendar hanging on harry's bedroom wall, which had always been at his side while he was at Hogwarts now looked yellowish and fragile. He had already been crossing out the dates, hoping that the next school year would come sooner.

Next school year.

Lying back on his bed, harry thought of the ups and downs of his first and second year. Vernon was downstairs, muttering under his breath about the neighbor's garden. The thought of studying Hogwarts being more dangerous that being the target of Vernon's constant beating up was something of note. At least he can't kill me with a glance from his eyes. Though Aunt Petunia might be able to kill me with her vocal cords. It really is a shame that magic is banned out of Hogwarts…

Harry closed his eyes. Another pressing matter surfaced to the forefront of his mind. He needed to check his wand out the next time he visits Diagon alley. Preferably the sooner the better. He wasn't sure how much time the wandmaker would need to rectify the situation. Or would he be forced to buy a new wand…

The following week, Harry continued to bank on the pack he and Dudley agreed on. For the first time in twelve years, Harry was being fully fed in the Dursley household (not that his aunt and uncle are aware of). His large cousin, meanwhile, wasn't faring as well as he used to, as Harry now had a claim to the majority of his food supplies. His piggy eyes narrowed every time Harry cornered him, usually to tell him to persuade Petunia to buy food that would eventually end up in Harry's stomach.

But Dudley wasn't complaining too much. Aside from being blackmailed, he had a distinct feeling his cousin was somehow different from the one he remembered a year ago. It was only days ago that Dudley accidentally bumped into his cousin while going down the stairs. He had expected the git to stumble down the stairs onto the landing below. What he had not expected was for himself to be knocked sideways and had to grab the banisters quickly for support. Looking up in disbelief, he prepared to shake his fists at his cousin, but stopped the moment he saw harry's face. Err…eyes don't emit light, do they?

So the hot summer moved slowly but steadily, and Dudley kept his distance from the freak. That is, until the very last day of July. On the telly, the morning news had all been about an escaped convict. Harry arrived at the base of the stairs and looked around, yawning and stretching. " Go and get your bloody head cleaned and washed, boy, before I make you-" snarled Vernon. "...the public is warned that Black is armed and extremely dangerous. A special hot line has been set up, and any sighting of Black should be reported immediately." Pausing on his way to the bathroom, Harry looked at the telly. A large photograph of a sunken-faced man with long, matted hair was shown on the screen. The man looked as though he had been on the hobo for a long time. Way too long. Something about the man made Harry's back tingle. " BOY! Get your ass moving! Our guest will be here within the hour." "Guest?" asked Harry. " Your aunt Marge" grunted Vernon. "and while we're on the subject," he pointed a fat finger threateningly at Harry, "we need to get a few things straight before I go and collect her."

Dudley smirked and withdrew his gaze from the television. Watching Harry being bullied by Uncle Vernon was Dudley's favorite form of entertainment.

"Firstly," growled Uncle Vernon, "you'll keep a civil tongue in your head when you're talking to Marge." Harry stared at his uncle. "Secondly," continued Uncle Vernon, "as Marge doesn't know anything about your abnormality, I don't want any - any funny stuff while she's here. You behave yourself, got me?"

Harry simply stared at his uncle some more. Vernon could feel a slight headache building while he nephew neither moved nor spoke. Shaking his head, he tore his narrowed eyes from Harry's bright green ones and turned to leave. But before he had taken one step, Harry's voice rang out. " No." "What?" said Vernon, wheeling around to face the ungrateful brat. " What did you-" but he stopped mid-sentence. Harry was face to face with him, and Vernon hadn't heard him move. " not unless you sign my permission slip for school before Marge comes." Said Harry quickly, steeling himself to finish the sentence before he lost his nerve. " And if I don't?" said Vernon, looking at his nephew with his face reddening. " I will just tell her about Hogwarts" said Harry. " and not the crap about St. Brutus's that you want me to sprout."

Vernon stared at him, his mouth working soundlessly. Then he wheeled around, pulled open the front door, and slammed it so hard that one of the little panes of glass at the top fell out.

Harry groaned. Well, that went well.

Slowly, he went back upstairs to his bedroom. There, he gathered up all his presents and his birthday cards that had been delivered and hid them under the loose floorboard with his homework, then dropped onto his bed, feeling drained.

But then a better idea struck him. Snatching up the permission form, he flew back down the stairs. Dudley was still watching the telly, his multiple chins wobbling as he continued to pile bacon into his mouth. " Dudley," said Harry, his mind working fast. " I need you to help me with something."

An hour later, Vernon's car pulled up in front of number four. He hummed a quiet tune as he helped marge out of the car. Ripper the bulldog, meanwhile, was snarling so much that Vernon had opted to open the front door the moment the dog was set loose to leave his sister wrestling with the beast . " Marge's here!" he called as the front door swung open. He had expected the other three occupants of the house to be dutifully waiting by the door, helping Marge relieve of her luggage. Instead, he found only Dudley, his new tie askew, panting slightly, and his wife, who was pursing her lip in a very irritated way. " Where the ruddy hell is the boy?" inquired Vernon. "BOY! Come down here at once!"

Two hundred feet in the air, Harry was having the time of his life. His luggage was tethered to the middle of his broomstick handle thanks to large amounts of Dudley's tape. The invisibility cloak was draped over his entire form comfortably, as harry had tucked the edges of the cloak into a knot around the broomstick handle also. Hedwig and Errol , who had delivered harry's birthday present from Ron, were already sent to the burrow. The scenery below him shifted slowly backwards as the chill wind flapped his cloak incessantly. Every now and then, he uses the sun's angle to check the direction, making sure he didn't stray too far off the mark. He wondered how uncle Vernon would react to his disappearance. He could not help but chuckle at the vision of his uncle's purple face in his minds eye. What a way to spend the rest of the holiday, he thought happily, as his Nimbus continued to speed Northeast.

Harry arrived at the leaky cauldron just in time to catch a late lunch before checking in . Tom, the owner, only stared at Harry for a second before giving him the magical keys to his room. The look was swift, but Harry fancied that there was a hint of apprehension in the man's located the matching door to his keys, he walked inside. His room was large and at the meantime was bathed in sunshine, the wooden furniture shone a bright chestnut even with the curtains partially obscuring the window. Without removing his trainers, he fell onto the soft bed and took a small nap.

Harry awoke in the late afternoon warmth, having fully rested. Taking a deep breath, he suddenly lept to his feet. He wasn't sure whether Ollivander's shop would be open at night. Now that he was here, then maybe he ought to check his wand as soon as possible. Rummaging in his trunk, he pulled out the eleven inches of holly and stuck it to the waistband of his jeans before putting on a baggy coat. Ignoring a funny stinging sensation from his wand, Harry went downstairs. The pub downstairs was gradually filling up with people, but Harry walked past it, heading straight for the backyard. A few taps of his wand later, Diagon alley came into view.

Magical light greeted him from all sides and Harry let out a small sigh. After a month of absence, he was back to where he belonged. The magical world. The magical people. As he looked more closely, he now saw that not all light came from the stores. Every now and then, he saw somebody with a weird glow around them. There was a witch wearing a veil, who was emitting a faint grayish, cold glow; several yards from her, a thin emaciated-looking man had a cool blue aura about him. More and more kinds of light presented themselves before his eyes, until finally, he reached the shop run by Ollivander.

The small shop was just as dusty as Harry remembered it to be. Boxes that piled to the ceiling amidst ancient shelves surrounded him. Dimly, he became aware how much taller he had become since last visiting the place.

" Mr. ... Potter. What a surprise."

Ollivander approached the front desk. Mere feet apart, Harry could see the outline of the thin man in sharp detail. A faint glow could be seen surrounding the man, sparkles of white embedded in a darker grey. For a split second, Harry forgot why he was there.

" Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple. I trust that there was a problem ?"

Harry blinked " Oh yes," pulling out his wand, he handed it handle first to the wandmaker. " my wand has been feeling a bit... overexcited."

"Hmm…" said Ollivander, wordlessly conjuring a fountain of wine from Harry's wand. " the wand seems to be in perfect condition." He murmured, simultaneously scanning the wand minutely with his large pale eyes. There was a pause. "Perhaps a demonstration with a low powered spell?" inquired the old man, after bending the wand slightly at the tip.

Harry raised the wand, and then he thought of something. "The Trace does not work here." said the wandmaker, correctly interpreting harry's hesitation.

" Petrificus Totalus" murmured Harry, pointing at nothing in particular.

This time, the air itself seemed to catch fire. The flames danced in mid air, illuminating the shop as if the sun had just risen. Then there was a bang like a gunshot, and the edge of Ollivander's desk was chipped away. The flames died slowly, plunging the room into semidarkness again.

The wandmaker looked at Harry. "How long has the wand been malfunctioning?" he asked finally. " since the end of the school year." Replied Harry. " Did anything unusual happen around that time?" harry nodded. " I fought a memory of Voldemort, got bitten by a basilisk and was cured by a phoenix."

Ollivander's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before nodding, looking amused and troubled at the same time. " That would explain part of the malfunctioning. Although not unheard of, surviving a basilisk bite normally would enhance one's performance in magic, especially fire-based spells. The younger the victim, the more fluctuation is detected in their magic. The deviation of your…" Ollivander stared into the distance, breaking off mid-sentence. " This… memory of the Dark Lord, did it possess you?" "No." "hmm…, unless…"

Now Ollivander suddenly looked much more awake. " What do you know about Phoenix bane, Mr. Potter?" " I don't understand, …sir" " It is a legend, a borderline myth, that hasn't been seen since the era of ancient Egyptian king Khakaure Senusret III. The magic is exceedingly complex. Suffice it to say, the ritual , or the sacrifice, while neutralizing nefarious external magic, redirects one's internal magic and forges a new magical core for the individual so that the modified poison and the individual coexist in harmony. " The wandmaker bustled around, and just like the last time, brought dozens of boxes from one of the shelves. " The solution would not be easy. You should gain the allegiance of a new wand before I work on modifying your original wand."

And so they set to work. Piles upon piles of wands were tested as night descended in earnest. Finally-

"Aspen and Phoenix feather, thirteen and a third inch. Unusually light and flexible. Particularly suited to combat magic."

Harry picked the wand up. The pale wand felt cool and smooth, and an unique connection was felt. It felt as if someone had sprayed copious amounts of alcohol on his wand arm. Harry brought the wand to shoulder level and flicked it. The boxes surrounded him rose and began to move in a wide arc. After several seconds, the boxes form a perfect dome, surrounding him. Ollivander clapped his hand.

" Well, that solved the first problem. Now then," he said, anticipation writing on his face. " Let's see what this wand had seen."

Picking up Harry's old wand, the old man pointed it at Harry. " Touch the old wand with the tip of your new wand, Mr. Potter. There would be no need for incantation, just channel your magic through. "

Harry did as he was told. The moment the two wands made contact, hoarfrost began to form along the aspen wand. The holly wand, meanwhile, started to vibrate as the ice crept closer. Then without warning, a disk made of smoke sprang into being, the place where the wands connected with each other being the center of the disk. Distinct patterns could be seen amidst the smoke as the old man studied them carefully. Then with a gesture of his off hand, he and Harry lowered the wands simultaneously. " Deletrius." murmured Ollivander, vanishing the smoke. " It seems that my hunch was correct , Mr. Potter. The runes dictate that your old wand would need a certain medium to suit your magical core. The fang of a basilisk, to be precise."


	3. Chapter 3

Harry spent the next week having little sleep. Diagon alley, the heart of wizarding Britain, provides distraction and entertainment that would make even the spoiled Dudley Dursley green with envy. Merchandises that were made of such quality or creativity also tested his self control every now and then.

He had to keep reminding himself that he had five years to go at Hogwarts, and how it would feel to ask the Dursleys for money for spellbooks, to stop himself from buying a handsome set of solid gold Gobstones (a wizarding game rather like marbles, in which the stones squirt a nasty-smelling liquid into the other player's face when they lose a point). He was sorely tempted, too, by the perfect, moving model of the galaxy in a large glass ball, which would have meant he never had to take another Astronomy lesson.

 _And,_ he told himself _, you just spent more than eleven galleons on the Aspen wand. Who knows how much manufacturing the Basilisk fang wand will cost?_

Ollivander and himself had agreed to use the Basilisk fangs in the chamber as the medium for Harry's old wand just days ago. They had only come to the decision after Harry nearly broke Ollivander's one and only stock of Basilisk fang. The moment Harry had touched the ivory-colored substance, Ollivander had gestured frantically for Harry to take his hand away.

A faint crack could be seen on the ancient fang, which Ollivander claimed to have bought it from a Mongolian wizard with the equivalent of five hundred galleons.

 _Oh, your altered wand would not cost that much, Mr. Potter. And worry not, if you can't retrieve the fang at Hogwarts, at least you will still have the Aspen wand for academics while I find some alternative ways to solve your case._ Ollivander had said then , having seen the look on Harry's face. Harry did not know whether to hold him to that or not. The wandmaker's tone had changed slightly when he talked about Harry's old wand.

Or maybe he was simply being paranoid. Perhaps he should have just told Ollivander that he would be ok with just the Aspen wand? Then he remembered that Ron had had to live with a broken wand for an entire year. Wouldn't equipping himself with a backup wand make sure that he would be better protected?

Harry suddenly felt ashamed of himself. He had totally forgotten about Ron and Hermione and their generous birthday letters. Harry distinctly remembered that Ron said his family be back from traveling about a week before term starts. _He would need a new wand also_ , Harry suddenly remembered, along with the twinge of guilt when he thought of how Ron's wand had been broken. Harry missed Ron and Hermione , more than he imagined, now that he had come to think of it. And right now, all he could do was wait, and find something to distract him whenever he was tired of doing his homework.

 _To distract him…_

A large photograph of a sunken-faced man with long, matted hair blinked slowly at Harry from the shop front. Or in fact, most of the shop fronts, now that Harry looked around. The man looked strangely familiar. Then he realized that he had seen the man on muggle TV the day he left the Dursleys.

WANTED : SIRIUS ORION BLACK height:6'1" Eye colour: Grey

Crime: murdered thirteen people with the Kamilokov blasting curse (01/11/1981)

Harry looked into the shadowed eyes of Sirius Black, the only part of the sunken face that seemed alive. Harry had never met a vampire, but he had seen pictures of them in his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, and Black, with his waxy white skin, looked just like one.

Shaking his head to clear the image of a vampire, he strode off.

As August wore on , Harry began to see more and more Hogwarts students with their parents in Diagon alley, no doubt trying to gather school supplies. _Might as well do my shopping now_ , he thought. So he went to the Apothecary to replenish his store of potions ingredients, and as his school robes were now several inches too short in the arm and leg, he visited Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and bought new ones. Most important of all, he had to buy his new schoolbooks, which would include those for his two new subjects, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination.

He was almost through buying all his school stuff when the thing that tested Harry's resolution most finally appeared in his favorite shop, Quality Quidditch Supplies, three weeks after he'd arrived at the Leaky Cauldron.

** THE FIREBOLT **

THIS STATE-OF-THE-ART RACING BROOM SPORTS A STREAM-LINED, SUPERFINE HANDLE OF ASH, TREATED WITH A DIAMOND-HARD POLISH AND HAND-NUMBERED WITH ITS OWN REGISTRATION NUMBER. EACH INDIVIDUALLY SELECTED BIRCH TWIG IN THE BROOMTAIL HAS BEEN HONED TO AERODYNAMIC PERFECTION, GIVING THE FIREBOLT UNSURPASSABLE BALANCE AND PINPOINT PRECISION. THE FIREBOLT HAS AN ACCELERATION OF 150 MILES AN HOUR IN TEN SECONDS AND INCORPORATES AN UNBREAKABLE BRAKING CHARM. PRICE ON REQUEST.

It was simply the most magnificent broom he had ever seen in his life. The more he stared at it , the more he felt possessive of it. It wasn't just the perfect handle and shaft ratio or the impeccably streamlined hexagonal cut of the twigs end that intrigued him. A faint pulse of light could be felt rather than seen, even through the protective glass cage.

 _Perhaps I should buy the broom just to spite Malfoy._

With a huge effort, he had to remind himself that there was no point in emptying his Gringotts vault for the Firebolt, when he already had a very good broom. Maybe the manufacturer would be willing to exchange one of the Firebolts for several basilisk fangs?

Heading back to the leaky cauldron, Harry was still daydreaming about the firebolt when he heard a familiar pattern of beating wings in the sky. Looking up , he saw-

"Hedwig!"

 _Oh crap, I totally forgot about her._

Harry only had a split second warning before Hedwig's wings cuffed him hard around his neck. Massaging it furiously, harry made to pat the owl, but the creature let out a angry hoot and took off again. Harry's eyes followed the bird's flight in resignation, until it landed some sixty yards away, next to two very familiar figures.

Harry's heart skipped a beat.

"Is that… Harry?

"Harry! HARRY!"

They were there, both of them, sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor - Ron looking incredibly freckly, Hermione very brown, both waving frantically at him.

"Finally, and man, you're probably taller than me!" said Ron, grinning at Harry as he sat down. "and mind explaining why Hedwig has been causing mayhem at my home when we were away? Oh yeah, we went to the Leaky Cauldron, but they said you'd left, and we went to Flourish and Blotts, and Madam Malkin's, and -"

"I got all my school stuff already," Harry explained. "And how come you knew I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Dad say your signature for one of the rooms" said Ron, glancing at Hermione.

Hermione who was checking her purse, said, ""I've still got ten Galleons, It's my birthday in September, and Mum and Dad gave me some money to get myself an early birthday present."

A slightly awkward silence fell. Harry remembered how touchy Ron had been when discussing money. Apparently winning the prize hadn't been enough to cure it. The only noise was hedwig's soft hooting.

"Mum and Dad also dropped me off this morning with all my Hogwarts things." said Hermione, biting her lower lip.

"Excellent!" said Harry happily. "So, have you got all your new books and stuff?"

"Look at this," said Ron, pulling a long thin box out of a bag and opening it. "Brand-new wand. Fourteen inches, willow, containing one unicorn tail-hair. And we've got all our books -" He pointed at a large bag under his chair. "What about those Monster Books, eh? The assistant nearly cried when we said we wanted two."

Harry laughed awkwardly. For some reason he didn't want to discuss wands with Ron, and certainly not wands with Basilisk fangs in them. So he turned to Hermione.

"so what kind of present are you going to buy yourself?"

"What? Oh…I really want an owl. I mean, you've got Hedwig and Ron's got Errol -" said Hermione. Hedwig puffed her chest out proudly.

"I haven't," said Ron. "Errol's a family owl. All I've got is Scabbers." He pulled his pet rat out of his pocket. "And I want to get him checked over," he added, placing Scabbers on the table in front of them. "I don't think Egypt agreed with him."

Scabbers was looking thinner than usual, and there was a definite droop to his whiskers. Harry frowned slightly at the rat.

"There's a magical creature shop just over there," said Harry, tearing his eyes away from Scabbers. "You could see if they've got anything for Scabbers, and Hermione can get her owl."

So they paid for their ice cream and crossed the street to the Magical Menagerie.


	4. Chapter 4

Albus Dumbledore was a man of numerous facades and accolades. Rise and fall, the tide of history had also left its imprint upon the one many considered to be the greatest sorcerer of current times. Now currently residing in the Headmaster's study of Hogwarts, the silver-haired old man naturally received more than benign requests from anxious parents and a few notes from acquaintances here and there. He smiled slightly. The twin terrors, or his deputy liked to call them, had sent a charmed bandage that had tried to loop his head into a turban when he opened the delivered parcel cheerfully. He had been rather impressed with the design, as the bandage was imbued with recent magic that was haphazardly layered, albeit superbly. Not many students he had known could infuse a semi-permanent confundus charm with a bedazzling hex. Chuckling slightly at the fact that the boys had found the loophole of the Trace, he put the now limp bandage on top of the three letters that had been delivered earlier. The post of Defense against the Dark arts has been filled much to Dumbledore's satisfaction. The addition of an ally and a skilled wand to a staff was especially welcome in times like these.

He got to his feet. Perhaps it was time to do some serious business.

Back in Diagon alley, Harry stopped just beyond the threshold of the Magical Menagerie, taking in the scene inside while Ron and Hermione headed for the counter.

There wasn't much room . Every inch of wall was hidden by cages. It was smelly and very noisy because the occupants of these cages were all squeaking, squawking, jabbering, or hissing.

A pair of enormous purple toads sat gulping wetly and feasting on dead blowflies. A gigantic tortoise with a jewel-encrusted shell was glittering near the window. Poisonous orange snails were oozing slowly up the side of their glass tank, and a fat white rabbit kept changing into a silk top hat and back again with a loud popping noise. Then there were cats of every color, a noisy cage of ravens, a basket of funny custard-colored furballs that were humming loudly, and on the counter, a vast cage of sleek black rats that were playing some sort of skipping game using their long, bald tails.

Harry was just looking at a large firecrab near the corner when something caught his attention. A large cage of poisonous black and red-striped snakes was gazing unblinkingly at him.

 _My lord~_

 _Sssuch an honor!_

Glancing around to make absolutely sure no one was looking in his direction, Harry took two steps towards the cage and opened the top lid an inch or two.

 _Hello~_ said Harry tentatively, making sure to keep his parseltongue as quiet as possible. The snakes started moving rapidly toward the half –opened top lid.

 _Simply splendid to see you, my lord._

 _How may we serve you, my lord?_

Harry was taken aback by the enthusiasm and reverence that he was being shown.

 _What do you mean by my lord?_ Harry asked after the chatter had died down finally.

 _You are the marshal of snakes, your highness. You have the ability to command us serpents._ Came the reply.

 _You mean that I am a… basilisk? But I would have known if I was one…_

 _You smell like the King serpent, but there is more, your highness. No magic can mimic the signature, not when the ancient sacrifice binds serpent magic to your core._

 _Phoenix bane._ Thought harry. The first one in millennia.

 _I thought any parselmouth could command snakes, not the King of serpents._

 _We regard parselmouths as our ally, but you are different, your highness. You are our leader. The first one since Medusa, according to rumors passed down generations. Not even Lord Salazar Slytherin or Lord Herpo could match your royalty._ Supplied the snakes in an awed tone.

Harry did not know what to think. He wasn't the one to care for stupid titles. Now that he come to think of it, he had expected something to happen. Especially if a wand needed a basilisk fang to suit him. A certain dizziness entered his skull, was it too much to ask for a normal life?

He needed a moment or two to clear his head, so he turned around to see what his best friends were up to.

But then, from the counter, Harry heard a high-pitched shriek.

"NO, CROOKSHANKS, NO!" cried the witch at the counter, but Scabbers shot from between her hands like a bar of soap, landed splay-legged on the floor, and then scampered for the door.

"Scabbers!" Ron shouted, and he sprinted after the terrified rat.

Time seemed to slow down as Harry's eyes followed the rat's progress. He briefly considered catching the rat for Ron, but something told him to hold back, to wait. As the rat scampered freely towards the exit, however, three of the snakes Harry had just talked to let out low hisses and started surging toward the rat. Scabbers had only just reached the threshold of the shop when the lithe bodies of the snakes rapped around it. Powerful and muscular, the snakes were slowly squeezing the air out of the rat. Ron was shouting something while Hermione's shrieks were heard along with approaching footsteps. " Relashio!" someone cried. Two of the three snakes were blasted aside but the third sank its fangs into the rat. The rat struggled as the snake proceeded to swallow it head first into its gut. Ron ran forward, his face contorted with fury as the customers nearest the entrance scrambled to get away from the three snakes. Pulling out his wand, Ron opened his mouth, but Harry's hand snapped up and held down Ron's arm. As the snake swallowed the rat in one gulp, Harry's grip slacken somewhat.

That proved to be the wrong thing to do. Barely a second of horrified and transfixed silence had passed did Harry realize that something was off. The snake's belly seemed to be growing larger at an alarming pace. Then with a huge snapping sound, snake guts came flying through the air. Harry had just managed to shield ron and himself from the spraying of snake blood when he saw the outline of a short man. For a moment, Harry locked eyes with a pair of small watery eyes before CRACK, the man disappeared.

The silence in the room was absolute. Harry looked down, and to his surprise he found his wand in his hand. The snake that had eaten Scabbers had already died, surrounded by the other two snakes. " Holy mother of god…" someone whispered.

The golden trio left the Magical Menagerie as a subdued group fifteen minutes later. Neither Ron nor Hermione had their intended quest fulfilled. Harry however, was now carrying a large cage full of black and red-striped snakes. Their fallen comrade lay still within the cage amongst them. There were mysteries to unravel when he returned to the solitude provided in his room.

Ron and Hermione walked on either side of him, throwing him furtive and unsure glances every now and then. Harry could sense that one of them is going to end the uncomfortable silence fairly soon.

" Are you all right, harry?"

Harry looked down at Hermione. " What do you mean?"

" You seemed…different. More reserved, and… calmer." Said Hermione, uncertainly. Harry looked at Ron, and saw that his other friend looking at him also while maintaining the distance between himself and the cage of snakes.

" No one recovers from that kind of…mayhem and act as if nothing has happened." Continued Hermione.

" The snakes have been telling me things, so I was distracted." Said Harry, hoping that Hermione would not ask him about the details. Fortunately, both his friends looked mollified.

" But where did Scabbers go though? I could only see the dust from the explosion, but when it cleared-" Ron began, "there was nothing there" finished Hermione.

Harry could hear the note of anger in Ron's voice. " I don't think the snake had eaten scabbers." Said harry quietly, remembering the outline of a small man briefly. "maybe I had an illusion, but for a moment I thought Scabbers somehow shape-shifted and disappeared."

"Oh Ron, look on the bright side, you have been complaining about Scabbers for two years." Said Hermione soothingly, when Ron still looked unhappy.

Ron nodded reluctantly.

After a minute of walk, they found Mr. Weasley sitting in the bar, reading the Daily Prophet. "Harry!" he said, smiling as he looked up. "How are you?"

"Fine, thanks," said Harry as he, Ron, and Hermione joined Mr. Weasley with their shopping.

Mr. Weasley put down his paper, and Harry saw the now familiar picture of Sirius Black staring up at him.

"They haven't got a lead on him, then?" he asked.

"No," said Mr. Weasley, looking extremely grave,glancing at the cage Harry's been holding. "They've pulled us all off our regular jobs at the Ministry to try and find him, but no luck so far."

"Would we get a reward if we caught him?" asked Ron. "It'd be good to get some more money -"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," said Mr. Weasley, who on closer inspection looked very strained. "Black's not going to be caught by a thirteen-year-old wizard. It's the Azkaban guards who'll get him back, You mark my words."

At that moment Mrs. Weasley entered the bar, laden with shopping bags and followed by the twins, Fred and George, who were about to start their fifth year at Hogwarts; the newly elected Head Boy, Percy; and the Weasleys" youngest child and only girl, Ginny.

The family greeted harry warmly, with the exception of Ginny, who stammered out a "hello" before hiding behind her mother, blushing.

After several long moments of greeting and visiting of the nearby shops, Harry and the Weasleys finally managed to return to the leaky cauldron despite Fred and George's constant nagging about how they should set Harry's pet snakes on someone and tripping of the new Head boy, Percy.

But just as Harry stepped into the dining area of the leaky cauldron, a voice harry had no trouble recognizing rand out.

"Good evening , Harry. "

Albus Dumbledore was standing in the room, his wand in his hand.


	5. Chapter 5

Harry stared. And for a fraction of a second, he quite forgot his manners.

" Er, hello professor." Stammered harry, rubbing his eyes and wondering what had brought Dumbledore to Diagon alley.

" Would you all mind that harry and I attend to some private business for a moment?" Dumbledore asked the Weasley family at large, as he stepped into the pool of light cast by the chandelier above. Harry noticed the Professor's eyes were not twinkling.

Mr and Mrs weasley shook their heads, and ushered their children and Hermione into an adjacent room.

It was unreal. The aura of the venerated Hogwarts headmaster was so bright that Harry had to blink several times. Commanding power rolled off in waves. To his left, he felt rather than heard the barman hurrying to make room for all of the Weasleys.

" So, how was your summer, Harry?" said Dumbledore, glancing at the cage of snakes flicking his wand simultaneously.

"Fine, sir." Said harry cautiously, examining the faint traces of dome-like magic Dumbledore had just evoked.

" a notice-me-not and silencing charm, Harry." Said Dumbledore, smiling slightly for the first time.

Harry nodded respectfully, somehow finding himself taking deep, calming breaths.

" What did you want to talk to me about, sir?"

"We will get to that in a minute." Dumbledore said smiling " but before I get lost in my old man's cliché, Harry, is there anything you want to tell me, anything at all?"

Harry paused. For a brief moment he considered telling Dumbledore everything. All his uncertainties. The way that Ollivander had interacted with him also came to the forefront of his mind. The incident in the magical menagerie was bothering him too.

"No, sir" harry said finally.

" Well, first of all, I must say I am relieved to see you again, Harry." Began the headmaster. " just days ago I received a warning signal from your aunt and uncle's house. The wards around them seems to have weakened somewhat, so I took the liberty to modify some portion of it." He paused, taking a sip of drink that he had conjured out of nowhere. "Secondly, I have come here to give you the permission to claim the basilisk you killed in the chamber." Said Dumbledore, glancing around the pub, his beard twitching. " under normal circumstances, the carcass of the magical creature belongs to the slayer. However, due to the extreme power of the wards in the chamber of secrets, the goblin magic for magical contract cannot determine the rightful owner. Therefore, I had to meet you and grant you permission as the headmaster of the school. And I should tell you, that when working with Mr. Ollivander, Harry, time is the essence."

Harry looked up, and saw Dumbledore's eye twinkling.

" It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. There is nothing to be condemned by simply being a parselmouth, nor by using an unusual wand. "

Harry nodded, relieved that Dumbledore at least understood and embraced the radical changes.

" And thirdly, as I am sure you are aware, a supporter of Voldemort's has been on the loose. I trust you to make mature decisions, Harry, and not to pursue temptation or danger. The line between active learning and seeking danger is very thin, and only by truly knowing your capabilities and changes could you make adjustments accordingly." Dumbledore paused, and harry suddenly realized that the dome shaped light became brighter. " Friends, harry. Secondary opinions shall not go amiss, either. Sirius black was last reported to have been seen near Stoatshead Hill three hours ago. So for your safety, it would be best if you stay in your suite, Harry, which I have already placed protection around."

The dome shaped wall was becoming blindingly bright now. Noticing the grimace on Harry's face, Dumbledore gave a minute nod before the light faded, leaving a swirl of dull colors.

" As for your pet, or pets ,harry" said Dumbledore, smiling slightly at harry's cage " the rules of Hogwarts only allow animals like owls and toads. However I am sure we could find a safe place other than the dormitories to keep them at Hogwarts. They seemed rather dependent of you. For the meantime, however…"

Dumbledore tapped the top of the cage with his wand once, and a shimmer could be seen crisscrossing the iron bars. Harry recognized it as the same spell Dumbledore had used to erect the dome-like magic.

Dumbledore then rose to his feet. "Well harry, that would be all. I shall see you at Hogwarts."

Getting to his feet, Harry followed the headmaster to where the Weasleys were.

Harry slept restlessly that night as midnight came and went, the only sounds being fred and george's whispers next room and Ron's snoring in the room two doors down. It was not only Dumbledore's veiled warning that worried him.

 _"_ _My lord~" " Is there anything we could help , my lord? Your highnessss seemed worried."_

 _"_ _You guys remember the rat back in the shop? the one that got eaten by your friends? Why did you attack it?"_

 _Instantly there was a surge of hisses as the snakes all seemed to talk at once._

 _"_ _of course my lord. The world is better off without filth like that running the ground." " abominations preying on darkness and filth…"" inhabiting the dirtiest corners of the underworld" " not worthy of even the venom of my lessersss…"" the stench of cowards…"_

 _Harry had had to hold up his hands to stop the bickering and snarling._

 _"_ _what are you talking about?"_

 _"_ _the rat-man, your majesty. The kind of cowards and theivesss that crave the dead of night because no one can see what they hide." Spoke a particular large snake._

 _"_ _what… they hide?" asked harry, more than a little puzzled._

 _"_ _The stench is strong , my lord. Very strong. The shifty look , the cagey untrustworthiness. No moral values and no pride whatsoever."_

 _Harry had to suppress a minor shudder. The ways that his pets had described the rat Ron had once owned had sounded too much like Riddle's dairy for his taste._

The next day harry woke up , got dressed and was just persuading a disgruntled Hedwig to get back into her cage when Ron banged his way into the room, pulling a sweatshirt over his head and looking irritable.

"The sooner we get on the train, the better," he said. "At least I can get away from Percy at Hogwarts. Now he's accusing me of dripping tea on his photo of Penelope Clearwater. You know," Ron grimaced, "his girlfriend."

"I've got something to tell you," Harry began, thinking about the conversation with Dumbledore and the pet snakes, but they were interrupted by Fred and George, who had looked in to congratulate Ron on infuriating Percy again.

They headed down to breakfast, where Mr. Weasley was reading the front page of the Daily Prophet with a furrowed brow and Mrs. Weasley was telling Hermione and Ginny about a love potion she'd made as a young girl. All three of them were rather giggly.

"What were you saying?" Ron asked Harry as they sat down.

"Later," Harry muttered as Percy stormed in.

Harry had no chance to speak to Ron or Hermione in the chaos of leaving; they were too busy heaving all their trunks down the Leaky Cauldron's narrow staircase and piling them up near the door, with Hedwig and Hermes, Percy's screech owl, perched on top in their cages. A small wickerwork basket stood beside the heap of trunks, spitting loudly.

After four or five minutes of scurrying up and down the stairs, all of them were finally packed. Mr. Weasley spoke to the group gathered outside of the leaky cauldron at large. " well now that we are all ready, we can finally go." He paused, looked around before speaking again. " the ministry this year has very kindly granted the use of side-along apparition onto platforms 9 3/4 from 10:30 until 11 o'clock. Which means that due to our number, we would have to take turns. Harry, if you please." Mr. weasley beckoned to harry, who felt slightly foolish as he walked toward the tall bolding man. " Everyone else watch closely. So harry, I want you to grab my upper arm very tightly. On the count of three then- one, two, three!"

Harry felt Mr weasley's arm twist away from him and redoubled

his grip; the next thing he knew, everything went black; he was being pressed very hard from all directions; he could not breathe, there were iron bands tightening around his chest; his eyeballs were being forced back into his head; his eardrums were being

pushed deeper into his skull and then —

He gulped great lungfuls of moist air and opened his eyes. He felt as though he had just been forced through a very tight rubber tube. Looking up, he saw the familiar steam engine . He felt his spirits soar despite the discomfort.

" Nerves of steel harry." Said Mr. weasley, looking mildly impressed. " I would bet ten galleons that the others would not arrive as smoothly as you. Well just stay here before the others arrive."

And then with a pop, Mr. weasley vanished.

Once the remaining Weasleys and Hermione had joined them, Harry and Mr. Weasley led the way to the end of the train, past packed compartments, to a carriage that looked quite empty. They loaded the trunks onto it, stowed Hedwig and harry's cage of snakes in the luggage rack, then went back outside to say goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Mrs. Weasley kissed all her children, then Hermione, and finally Harry. He was embarrassed, but really quite pleased, when she gave him an extra hug.

"Do take care, won't you Harry?" she said as she straightened up, her eyes oddly bright. "I will " promised Harry, thoroughly touched. An accidental scan of the plump woman's mind had revealed a firestorm of love and anxiousness for the boy who lived.

There was a loud whistle. Guards were walking along the train, slamming all the doors shut. Harry ran to the compartment door and Ron threw it open and stood back to let him on. They leaned out of the window and waved at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley until the train turned a corner and blocked them from view.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off down the corridor, looking for an empty compartment, but all were full except for the one at the very end of the train. When they were all seated comfortably, ron slammed the compartment door shut, then he turned to Harry, his brow furrowed. "what were you going to tell us back at the leaky cauldron,mate?"

Harry hesitated for a fraction of a second, But then he made up his mind. Dumbledore had said to do it.

So Harry explained all about the changes he has undergone since the chamber incident, how he left the dursleys and about what happened at Ollivander's . It took more than an hour to recount the whole tale, by which time the lunch trolley had long passed. When he'd finished, Ron looked amazed with his mouth slightly open, and Hermione had her hands over her mouth.

If the atmosphere had been different, Harry would have laughed simply by watching his best friends reaction. But here he was, watching them anxiously, hoping that he was not going to be an outcast.

" bloody hell, mate"

" Oh my, oh my, harry. I wondered during our final practical classes last year _and_ in diagon alley. Oh harry, are you all right? How are you coping with all this?"

"so now you can see what's that called again? Aura? I always thought that was some sort of subtext… only you, mate, only you could lose your humanity and -"

"Ron! Harry is still human, aren't you Harry?"

"only joking Hermione. At least harry is no longer a scrawny git. Damn, now it all makes sense. No wonder you are taller than me now. Ha, Wood's going to be crying with joy. I wonder how good you'll be at quidditch now? I swear Malfoy won't know what hit him!"

" honestly Ron…"

" Oh, and that's why hedwig was at my house! You should see mum and dad's face when we first arrived home…

Harry was only half listening, but his insides were warm.

The Hogwarts Express moved steadily north and the scenery outside the window became wilder and darker while the clouds overhead thickened overhead. People were chasing backwards and forwards past the door of their compartment.

The rain thickened as the train sped yet farther north; the windows were now a solid, shimmering gray, which gradually darkened until lanterns flickered into life all along the corridors and over the luggage racks.

"We must be nearly there," said Ron, leaning forward to look at the now completely black window.

The words had hardly left him when the train started to slow down.

"We can't be there yet," said Hermione, checking her watch.

"So why're we stopping?"

The train was getting slower and slower. As the noise of the pistons fell away, the wind and rain sounded louder than ever against the windows.

Harry, who was nearest the door, got up to look into the corridor. All along the carriage, heads were sticking curiously out of their compartments.

The train came to a stop with a jolt, and distant thuds and bangs told them that luggage had fallen out of the racks. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness.

"What's going on?" said Ron's voice from behind Harry.

"Ouch!" gasped Hermione. "Ron, that was my foot!"

Harry felt his way back to his seat.

"D'you think we've broken down?"

"Dunno..."

There was a squeaking sound, and Harry saw the dim black outline of Ron, wiping a patch clean on the window and peering out.

"There's something moving out there," Ron said. "I think people are coming aboard..."

The compartment door suddenly opened and someone fell painfully over Harry's legs.

"Ginny?"

"Hermione?"

"What are you doing?"

"I was looking for Ron -"

"Come in and sit down -"

"Not here!" said Harry hurriedly. "I'm -"

But the door slid slowly open again before harry could finish his sentence.

Standing in the doorway, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. Harry's eyes darted downward, and what he saw made his stomach contract. There was a hand protruding from the cloak and it was glistening, grayish, slimy-looking, and scabbed, like something dead that had decayed in water...

And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings.

At once, Harry's whole body seemed to burn white-hot, as though the basilisk venom was coursing through his veins again,— and unbidden, unwanted, but terrifyingly strong, there rose within Harry a hatred so powerful he felt, for that

instant, that he would like nothing better than to strike — to bite —to sink his fangs into the abomination before him —

His Aspen wand flashed into his hand , though he did not remember pulling it out. Instinctively, Harry gave his wand an almighty diagonal swipe, much like Riddle had done in the chamber. There was a sharp snapping sound, and the creature had to move aside to avoid what looked like a thin firewhip. More of those towering foul creatures arrived at the side of their comrade, forming a semicircle just outside the compartment door. The fury in Harry's chest burned hotter than ever, obscuring every coherent thought. The firewhip grew in length, as the cloaked figure all ducked again to avoid being scorched by the heat. The thin strand of fire came whipping back, taking a bit of the adjacent door with its heat. The cloaked fiends seemed to have had enough. and then with a squelching sound, the creatures faded into the darkness, defeated.

Light returned to the corridor immediately, but the silence was still absolute. Ron ,Hermione and Ginny were all watching him with wide eyes, looking oddly like goldfishes. Further down the train corridor, he could see other faces regarding him with an unnatural level of wariness and fear. The compartment adjacent to theirs, which housed several fifth years, however, were full of impressed faces.

It was ron who broke the increasingly uncomfortable silence with a high-pitched squeak..

"What the _hell_ are those things exactly?" 

They didn't talk much during the remainder of the journey. At long last, the train stopped at Hogsmeade station, and there was a great scramble to get outside; owls hooted, cats meowed, and Neville's pet toad croaked loudly from under his hat. It was freezing on the tiny platform; rain was driving down in icy sheets.

"Firs' years this way!" called a familiar voice. Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned and saw the gigantic outline of Hagrid at the other end of the platform, beckoning the terrified-looking new students forward for their traditional journey across the lake.

"All right, you three?" Hagrid yelled over the heads of the crowd. They waved at him, but had no chance to speak to him because the mass of people around them was shunting them away along the platform. Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed the rest of the school along the platform and out onto a rough mud track, where at least a hundred stagecoaches awaited the remaining students, each pulled, Harry could only assume, by an invisible horse.

Harry glanced quickly at them, turned away to search for mire familiar faces, then did a double take. The coaches were no longer horseless. There were creatures standing between the carriage shafts. Harry found himself fascinated by the odd combination of floating colors that Was evidently the animals aura. The odd colors swirled about, mixing with slight mist that had started to descend upon the crowd. But he didn't get much time to dwell on this strange phenomenon, for along the carriages, the sound of slamming of doors could be heard, and harry hastened to follow Ron and Hermione into one of the empty carriages.

As the carriage trundled toward a pair of magnificent wrought iron gates, flanked with stone columns topped with winged boars, Harry saw two more towering, hooded creatures, standing guard on either side. After several minutes, the carriage swayed to a halt, and the golden trio got out.

The door into the Great Hall stood open; Harry followed the crowd toward it, but had barely glimpsed the enchanted ceiling, which was black and cloudy tonight, when a voice called, "Potter! Granger! I want to see you both!"

Ron stared as Professor McGonagall ushered Harry and Hermione away from the chattering crowd; they accompanied her across the entrance hall, up the marble staircase, and along a corridor.

Once they were in her office, a small room with a large, welcoming fire, Professor McGonagall motioned Harry and Hermione to sit down. She settled herself behind her desk and looked at Harry seriously before speaking. "Potter, I have received intelligence that it was you who interrupted the security search on the train."

For a few moments, Harry did not know what she was saying. Then his eyes widened in disbelief. " You call that security search?" he said incredulously, "Professor." He added hastily.

McGonagall's lip thinned. " The Dementors are just doing their jobs Potter. They are here to protect you from something much worse." She looked at harry sternly. "You should at least try and reign in your temper, Mr. Potter. Dementors are not ones to trifle with, so consider yourself lucky this time. The same goes for any other dark creatures you might have come across."

Although her voice was stern, there was no mistaking of the upturn of her lips.

"Very well, that would be all. Kindly wait outside while I have a quick word with Miss Granger about her course schedule, then we can go down to the feast together."

He had to wait only a few minutes; then Hermione emerged looking slightly crestfallen about something, followed by Professor McGonagall, and the three of them made their way back down the marble staircase to the Great Hall. Professor Flitwick, who was a tiny little wizard with a shock of white hair, was carrying an ancient hat and a three-legged stool out of the hall.

"Oh," said Hermione softly, "we've missed the Sorting!"

"Welcome!" said Dumbledore, once harry and Hermione were seated, the candlelight shimmering on his beard. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast-"

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.


	6. Chapter 6

" Well then ," said professor Moody, flicking his wand to conjure a chair out of nowhere so that he could rest his wooden leg. " first thing's first. CONSTANT VIGILANCE! Where are your wands? In your bloody bookbags? Be ready to protect and counterattack at all times! This is the third year class,yeah? who can tell me what you have learned in DADA so far?"

It was the first defense class of the year, and Harry's fellow classmates were mostly sporting mild nosebleeds. The exceptions were Harry, Hermione and Ron, the latter two due to the fact that harry had pulled them out of harm's way. Moody had barged into the classroom just as the bell rung, and cast a wide sheet of yellow light at the unsuspecting students.

" Potter!" growled Moody, his magical eye glaring at him. " What had the previous teachers covered?"

" Er… magical creatures mainly?" harry said uncertainly, looking at Hermione for support. But for once, Hermione seemed lost for words.

" such as?"

" erm… pixies? And all those creatures in Lockhart's textbooks, like Yeti? Vampire, and banshee. Oh , and werewolf also."

"tell me then, what are the differences between a werewolf and a true wolf, and what are the methods of dealing with a werewolf?"

"…"

Moody glared at him. " So you have been taught about werewolves, but could not name the most basic practical techniques against them? You might be quick , Potter, but even you could not match the reflexes of a werewolf under the full moon."

Moody then addressed the whole class.

" for those who are magically adept, a wide –range magical shield would be enough to impede the werewolf. If you wish to strike back, use bone breaking curses and confunding charms. Werewolves are naturally resistant to useless stunners and binding spells. For those who are not good with a wand, stick silver blades in their chests before they kill you."

" but I am not here to teach you how to repel creatures. I'm here to bring you up to scratch on what wizards can do to each other. I've got one year to teach you how to deal with Dark wizards and curses, such as the bone breaking curse I mentioned before."

The silence in the classroom was absolute. And harry was reminded of the night of the welcoming feast.

 _Every face swiveled to stare at the source of the noise. The Stranger meanwhile, seemed immune to all the stares and mutterings as he walked from the open doors of the great hall toward the staff table. He walked with a slight limp but there was undoubtedly a sense of assertiveness in his steps. The most disconcerting about the man is the fact that this stranger had mismatched eyes. One of them was small ,the other was large round and electric blue. Harry felt a sense of foreboding. And sure enough, when the stranger drew level with the golden trio, the eccentric eye stared long and hard at Harry's face. As he drew nearer, Harry saw that he had a wooden leg. A faint aura, much like the caress of a featherduster, washed over Harry's senses._

 _Then the stranger reached Dumbledore. He stretched out a hand that was as badly scarred as his face, and Dumbledore shook it._

 _"_ _May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" said Dumbledore brightly into the silence. "Professor Moody."_

"harry!" whispered Hermione.

"Huh?"

Everywhere around them , people were getting to their feet. Apparently Moody had told them to clear out the middle of the classroom.

Harry looked around as the class lined itself against the wall and moody strolled down the middle aisle.

" Curses. They require power and skill. And the target. To avoid getting hit, you need speed and creativity. Time and space matter in spell casting. Right now at this stage…"

There was a blinding flash of red, and harry collapsed onto the floor.

For the rest of the day, harry had to endure being laughed at by Ron. Moody had stunned Harry twice at point blank range during class, and by the end of the class, Harry was sporting a rather spectacular bruise along the left side of his face. Ron had gotten a nosebleed and Hermione was sporting a swollen lip. Moody had not be kind to them, although harry felt that he had been particularly strict toward himself.

Harry looked into the common room's fireplace. The first week had been particularly frustrating. A divination teacher who seemed to have a penchant for the hysterics and then the Malfoy incident with Hagrid. Ron had laughed himself silly when the incidents had first occurred. It was a pity that Hermione did not take divination. Harry distinctly remembered Hermione telling him and ron about her new schedule.

 _As the golden trio started to climb the marble stair case, harry could hear Hermione grumbling to ron._

 _"_ _Professor Mcgonagall told me that the board of governers have decided that no student is to take more than 3 electives." Said Hermione, looking disappointed as they headed up to the tower after the welcoming feast._

Harry swore under his breath. He was fairly sure he would go nuts if he paid too much attention to Trelawney and with only Ron for company. He had inadvertently locked eyes with the old bat for a second too long in class, and what he had seen made his head ache for the rest of the class.

Somewhere in the common room, a clock chimed , signaling the end of another hour. Harry yawned, thinking that he would chat with his pet snakes tomorrow instead of tonight. His roommates have been surprising tolerant of the presence of snakes, although his snakes had not had a high opinion of his roommates. The snakes have particularly detested Ron. Harry had overheard some of them ridiculing rons snoring and sleeping habits and he himself had try hard not to laugh at some of their comments.

Now that harry come to think of it, it was rather odd that mcgonagall did not mention the issue of the pet snakes .Harry had a strange feeling that it had something to do with Dumbledore's interference.

Harry sighed. The reddish embers that littered the wasted coals are like rubies in the semidarkness. Harry watched the flames danced merrily in the fireplace as he sank deeper into his armchair, his senses telling him that few people were in the common room at the moment.

Ron and Hermione had already gone to bed , leaving harry Alone in front of the fireplace. If he was honest with himself, he felt a certain letdown, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had expected to feel interested and full of energy, but now all he felt was a certain weariness. Had professor trelawneys prediction hit too close to the mark?

Before he could dwell more on the eccentric divination teacher, his senses told him that someone was fast approaching.

" Er, harry potter? Professor Dumbledore wanted you to go to his office as soon as possible."

Harry jumped to his feet, and was out of the portrait hole before he had a chance to see the messenger. Why would dumbledore want to meet him at the dead of night? Harry quickened his pace as he saw the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to the headmaster s study. Wondering how he would be able to let in without the password, harry was surprised to see the entrance suddenly opened to reveal Dumbledore in flamboyant purple robes and a matching hat.

"Ah Harry, so glad that you could make it in time." said Dumbledore

"Where are we going?" asked Harry as Dumbledore indicated to him to follow

"I thought now would be a great time to solve your problem, harry" said Dumbledore smiling slightly as he descended a staircase " the fewer prying eyes the better." Harry was amazed by the speed which Dumbledore walked at. There were moments when the old man seemed to glide rather than strode and harry found himself constantly lagging behind.

Soon they were approaching where harry had known to be moaning Myrtle s bathroom.

" Er, professor, "asked harry, "why couldn't we just ask Fawkes to flame us down there? Wouldn't flaming be safer for us?"

"Ah," said Dumbledore, smiling slightly, "Fawkes has been feeling under the weather for the time being. I am sure you understand."

"Oh, "said harry, feeling slightly odd and not knowing what to say.

Dumbledore was humming a quiet tune as he pushed open the door to the deserted bathroom.

Dumbledore was already circling the unused sink when harry entered the bathroom himself, lighting his aspen wand as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"Now harry, if you please?" Said Dumbledore, gesturing towards the sink.

 _How had he known?_ Thought harry , slightly amazed.

"Magic always leaves traces." Said Dumbledore smiling, correctly interpreting Harry s expression.

"Right," said harry moving closer to the sink with the miniscule snake.

 _Open_ , he hissed.

The chamber was brighter than harry remembered. Or perhaps it was due to the fact that he had his wand lit this time and the presence of Dumbledore's powerful aura. Dumbledore stood beside him, gazing with interest at the slimy walls around him. The echoing silence continued as neither harry nor Dumbledore moved. In the distance, he could see where Lockhart's spell had backfired. Now that he looked, he suddenly realized that the stone closer to the explosion was blackened and glinted like wet tar in the semidarkness.

Dumbledore was now tracing the chamber wall with his left hand, while in his right, he held his wand aloft. Thin strands of smoke appeared and vanished, as if the greyish stone itself have absorbed the smoke.

Harry held his tongue, not wanting to break the headmasters concentration. Finally, Dumbledore signaled to harry, gesturing them to move on.

"I have wanted to visit the chamber for quite sometime harry. The castle, however, does not divulge its secrets easily. And rightly so, since the risk and the reward are not to be taken lightly." Dumbledore said as They walked further and further into the chamber.

Every now and then they would come across dried snake skin. The poisonous green skin harry remembered vividly seemed to reek of a strong stench of rotten seafood. After fifteen minutes or so, the real entrance of the chamber came into view.

 _Open._

"That was a monumental achievement ,Harry," said Dumbledore quietly.

Harry looked around at Dumbledore, who was gazing at the carcass of the dead basilisk with something close to sadness. Harry looked at the corpse itself. Now that he had Dumbledore with him and was not in immediate danger, harry realized just how big the basilisk was.

"Eighty feet in length" murmured Dumbledore, "and judging by the configuration of the scales, approximately sixteen to eighteen hundred years old."

The headmaster turned to Harry, and harry suddenly realized that the old man looked weary.

"I am sorry harry, for failing you so many times." Began Dumbledore, Looking at harry tentatively. "I underestimated the extent of the power that the chamber possesses. Salazar was a master of dark arts, and no amount of Phoenix tears could have saved you from the assault, not when the basilisk venom was administered in such large amount. The sacrifice of Fawkes kept the venom at bay."

Harry felt numb. _Sacrifice? But Fawkes had still been alive hadn't he?_ He even flamed four people out of the chamber after the fight with the basilisk. Phoenixes were bound to the mortal plane like no other creatures. The facts just simply did not add up.

Dumbledore was speaking again, this time from far, far away, or so it seemed to Harry.

"Phoenixes are prideful creatures. They are the embodiment of everything positive and pure. A being composed of pure intent and magic. The Phoenix bane defies the disposition of the magic, contorting the magic against the intent. Sacrifices are rituals. Rituals that are derived of a different spectrum of magic. The most beautiful and the most terrible now coexists. Neither the donor nor the recipient of such magic would come out unscathed. That and the fact that you are not the familiar of Fawkes... I doubt that Fawkes would ever be the same again, Harry."

Harry looked into the bright blue eyes. Dumbledore was staring at a point over his left shoulder.

"Fawkes has given you part of his essence , harry. Life essence. In exchange, however," Dumbledore paused slightly, as if gathering himself. "The bond recognizes the recipient of the sacrifice as a magical being. But not a human. I am sorry, harry."

"Not a human? what do you mean?" asked Harry, his voice hollow.

" With great talent, comes great responsibility. There are powers involved beyond the reach of any human, and perhaps beyond the comprehension of magical theories due to the uniqueness of the situation."

With a flick of his wand, Dumbledore levitated one of the undamaged basilisk fang and enclosed it in a glass sphere.

"Tom riddle has always been an excellent student, " Dumbledore murmured, changing the subject as he walked away from the dead basilisk and toward the base of Salazar Slytherins statue. "And his henchmen, many of which are almost as talented as him, are still at large. Storm's coming, and we should brace ourselves accordingly."

Dumbledore pointed his wand at the base of the statue. For a moment the dark rock turned translucent as if it were being x rayed. Then the ground began to shake slightly as an opening could be seen.

Floating the glass sphere in front of him, Dumbledore gestured for harry to follow him.

Harry cringed internally. In what seemed to be total darkness, he felt some kind of oppressive magic crawling under his the aura of Dumbledore seemed to be obscured. He looked down at his wand. The wand was no longer emitting any light.

Then without warning, a dull red light filled Harry's vision. He tried to move, but his movements were slow and sluggish. After a second or so however, the dull glow receded and along with it, the oppressive coat of magic. Blinking his eyes several times, he saw Dumbledore balancing what seemed to be fine white powder and some dark oily substance with his wand in mid air.

"Impressive wards," murmured Dumbledore, his eyes calculating and thoughtful, depositing the destroyed fang in the shadow of what looked like a large stone desk.

Books upon books were piled halfway to the ceiling on the desk, some oozing the same kind of dark feeling like the recently destroyed ward. Harry made to approach the desk, but was stopped by Dumbledore's hand.

Dumbledore skimmed the topmost book quickly with critical eyes before raising his wand in a wide arc. There was a brief shimmer, and then the pile of books were gone. Now that harry was able to see beyond the desk, he noticed a large tatto like picture engraved on the far side of the wall. A snake and a skull.

"This is Voldemort's personal study during his final years at hogwarts, harry." Said Dumbledore. "You might be able to feel the aura of the place. Every person has his own magical signature, and Voldemort's magic is no exception. The more potent the magic, The less likely it is to fade over time. In fact, I would be surprised if he hasn't visited this part of the chamber after he left Hogwarts. "

Harry nodded, not trusting himself to speak. There were jars of silvery liquid that harry strongly suspected to be unicorn blood, while human looking bone were scattered in a weird pattern to his left. And standing to his right, half rotten golems that smelled like bad eggs were lined against the wall, twelve feet tall and with skin that reminded him of dementors. It was all he could do to stop himself from throwing up.

A full five minutes passed before Dumbledore was satisfied with the inspection and let a slightly green harry out back into the main chamber. There, Dumbledore plucked another undamaged fang from the basilisk s mouth with his wand and sealed in glass much like before.

"Would you mind taking this to ollivanders for the manufacturing of your wand harry?" Asked Dumbledore, once they were back at the base of the pipes.

"Er, no, of course not." Said harry, " but professor, how am I suppose to take this to ollivander when I cannot leave the school?"

"Hagrid will be visiting diagon alley next month on school business, and he would be the one to accompany you." Replied Dumbledore. "Now, Harry, if you could take my left arm?"

"Right," said harry, clutching Dumbledore's left forearm.

The headmaster twitched his wand slightly, and moments later both of them were standing in moaning Myrtle's bathroom.


End file.
